Ambitious proposals to create a £100 million pathway through Guildford for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians have been devised to solve the town’s transport problems.

A ‘sustainable movement corridor’ is the centrepiece of Guildford Borough Council’s transport plans for the future, according to its draft Local Plan, which sets out its proposals for the borough for the next 30 years.

The corridor is proposed to run from the Royal Surrey County Hospital and university area to the Merrow park and ride, passing through railway station, Friary Centre and North Street, Guildford College, Guildford Lido, Stoke Park, Guildford Spectrum and Slyfield.

The idea for the corridor, which would aim to transform the town’s much-criticised traffic system, was formed in the council’s town and approaches study, carried out by engineering consultancy Arup at a cost of £120,000.

According to Arup’s report, the corridor will be ‘an attractive, landscaped pathway through the town that provides for fast and direct connections between key locations’.

The study, which was given a council budget of £150,000, claims that the new corridor would shorten journey times, with a trip from Slyfield to the town centre taking eight minutes.

“The corridor can be used by existing bus services but also by new services running only on this corridor, potentially Bus Rapid Transit or even a tram system, if there is significant growth in demand in future to support this type of technology,” the Arup report states.

One stretch of the suggested corridor is proposed to connect the controversial Blackwell Farm site, the development of which has been fiercely protested by green belt campaigners, to the Surrey Research Park, further illustrating the council’s expectation that the site will be used for housing.

According to the plan, the corridor costs are estimated to cost between £75 million and £100m, and could be developed between 2016/17 and 2050.

Councillor James Palmer, council lead for infrastructure, said: “The issues of transport and congestion are important for many residents and businesses. This study is the first step in developing a long-term transport strategy for the borough.

“Our aim is to secure the infrastructure needed to sustain Guildford as one of the leading towns in the South East.

“Working with our partners, we will tackle traffic congestion and promote sustainable transport, giving people a real choice about how they travel.

“The project is only the start and there is a lot more work to do. The strategy sets out our approach towards how we want to tackle movement issues locally during the next 30 years and beyond, and the specific measures that need to be implemented will be developed as the project progresses.

“The study makes it clear that increasing road capacity in the town centre is not the answer, as this would only encourage more through traffic, which is why we are supporting the idea of a sustainable transport corridor.”